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settings & database

configure silo's behavior and manage your local database through the settings page.

accessing settings​

click the settings icon in the navigation menu to access:

  • database management
  • indexing preferences
  • search settings
  • privacy options
  • storage configuration

database management​

database overview​

view key statistics about your silo:

  • total files indexed
  • database size
  • faces detected
  • clusters created
  • last indexing date

manage database

database location​

your silo database is stored locally:

  • sqlite database file
  • faiss vector indexes
  • face embeddings
  • file metadata

default location: .local/silo-db/

clear database​

remove all indexed data while keeping settings:

  1. go to settings → manage database
  2. click "clear database"
  3. confirm action
caution

this removes all indexed data but keeps your settings. your original files are never touched.

backup database​

info

automatic backup is coming in a future update.

manual backup:

  1. locate your database folder
  2. copy the entire .local/silo-db/ directory
  3. store in a safe location

restore database​

to restore from backup:

  1. stop silo
  2. replace .local/silo-db/ with backup
  3. restart silo

indexing preferences​

auto-indexing​

configure automatic re-indexing:

  • on startup: check for new files on launch
  • scheduled: daily, weekly, or monthly scans
  • watch folders: monitor sources for changes

indexing options​

customize what gets indexed:

  • face detection: enable/disable face scanning
  • object detection: toggle object recognition
  • ocr: enable text extraction
  • audio transcription: process audio/video

performance settings​

adjust resource usage:

  • batch size: files processed simultaneously
  • cpu threads: number of cores to use
  • gpu acceleration: enable if available
  • memory limit: maximum ram usage

search settings​

search behavior​

configure how search works:

  • results per page: 20, 50, 100, or unlimited
  • similarity threshold: minimum relevance score
  • include metadata: search file names and dates
  • search thumbnails: use smaller images for speed

search index​

manage search performance:

  • rebuild index: refresh faiss indexes
  • optimize: compact and speed up searches
  • cache size: memory allocated for search cache

privacy options​

data collection​

silo never collects user data, but you can control:

  • error reporting: send crash reports (local only)
  • usage analytics: track feature usage (local only)
  • update checks: check for new versions

security​

protect your silo:

  • password protection: require password to open silo
  • auto-lock: lock after inactivity
  • encrypt database: encrypt local database files
info

password protection and encryption are coming in a future update.

storage configuration​

storage location​

configure where silo stores data:

  • database: sqlite and faiss indexes
  • thumbnails: preview images
  • cache: temporary processing files
  • models: downloaded ai models

storage limits​

set maximum storage usage:

  • thumbnail size: quality vs space tradeoff
  • cache limit: temporary file maximum
  • auto-cleanup: remove old cache files

advanced settings​

developer options​

for advanced users:

  • debug mode: verbose logging
  • api access: enable local api
  • custom models: use alternative ai models
  • experimental features: test new functionality

reset settings​

restore default settings:

  1. go to settings → advanced
  2. click "reset to defaults"
  3. confirm action

this resets:

  • all preferences
  • search settings
  • indexing options

it does not delete:

  • indexed data
  • face clusters
  • source configurations

troubleshooting​

database issues​

if you experience database problems:

  1. check disk space: ensure sufficient storage
  2. verify permissions: check folder access rights
  3. rebuild index: refresh search indexes
  4. clear cache: remove temporary files

performance issues​

if silo is running slowly:

  1. reduce batch size in settings
  2. disable gpu if causing issues
  3. lower memory limit
  4. reduce results per page
  5. clear old cache files

corruption recovery​

if database becomes corrupted:

  1. try rebuilding indexes first
  2. restore from backup if available
  3. clear database and re-index as last resort

updates​

checking for updates​

silo can check for updates:

  • manually in settings
  • automatically on startup
  • notification when available

update process​

to update silo:

  1. backup your database
  2. stop silo
  3. pull latest code: git pull
  4. restart using ./start-all.sh

your data and settings are preserved during updates.